Posts Tagged ‘scale’

Age Range: 11 and up (approximately, with parental supervision; younger children may enjoy aspects of this presentation)

ClickScholar Cie, recommended this website, sponsored by the Museo Galileo, that provides free, fascinating, multimedia demonstrations of the uses of Galileo’s compass for math calculations, geometry, architecture, engineering, navigation, and other fields. Learn the history of the compass and Galileo’s contribution to its development during the Renaissance in 1597.

When you get to the site you’ll see a menu that includes:

*History – Watch a presentation about the history of the compass, Galileo’s invention of a specific type of compass, and the improvements he made upon it. See a comparison between compasses, and play the interactive “Compass Game.”

*Explore – Learn about the compass and how it works.

*Simulation – Watch engaging simulations of the many operations you can perform with Galileo’s compass, including:

Division of a segment

Division of a circumference

Squaring a regular figure

Measurement of calibers

Astronomical quadrant

Sum of volumes

Scale of slopes

And more!

This website offers the user the ability to view the text of the presentations, and provides links to other interesting resources about the compass as well. There is a lot of content here, so bookmark the site and return again to see it all.

Have your children ever fallen in love with a particular book? Have they begged for more books like it? Have you scoured the library shelves trying to find something just as engaging to nurture their love of reading? Do you wish you could find extension activities to further learning through the books they love to read? Then you’ll love today’s website recommendation.

Scholastic’s Book Wizard offers three different ways to search over 50,000 books from all publishers to find just the right book for your child, and many search results include lesson plans, author bios, and study guides. Type in the name of a book your kid likes, and the free Book Wizard will show similar titles in the same reading level with the same type of content with activities to further learning. What a time saver!

When you get to the site, you can jump right in and use the search engine that includes two options:

*Find Books – Just enter a book title, author or keyword. Once you’ve found the exact book you are looking for – you can click on the author’s name to read his/her bio, and (in many cases) access free lesson plans, vocabulary lists, and extension activities written specifically for the book.

Note: Look for the words “Search By Level” under the input form. Click on those words to search for books and associated lessons and activities by preferences such as “Interest Level” and “Reading Level” for grades PreK-12. You can also search by Book Type, Subject, and Genre.

The Space Telescope Science Institute offers this terrific website that allows you to engage in a multi-media, in-depth inquiry into the astronomy and physics of black holes through animations and interactive experiments. Explore light, gravity, and the scale of our universe. When you get to the site, watch a brief, narrated animation that provides information on how black holes are formed. Then, begin your virtual journey to a black hole through three interactive modules that include:*Finding the Invisible — Loc ate and identify various objects in the universe such as a binary star, the Cygnus galaxy, the Andromeda spiral galaxy, the sun, the moon, the Milky Way, a quasar, a red giant, Saturn, the crab nebula and more. As each object comes into view, read more about it on the sidebar and by clicking on the “Learn More” button. *The Voyage — Learn about scales and distances by taking a virtual trip to a black hole. Find out about the objects you pass on your trip through space. Measure your speed and distance traveled. Get explanations of the concepts of lightspeed and lightyear. When you reach your destination, mouse over the black hole to learn about its features.

*Up Close and Personal — Orbit a black hole and learn all about it. Try some interactive experiments and answer related questions. Get the latest scoop from notable scientists. You can also explore the “Black Hole Encyclopedia” and “Glossary” to learn even more.

Recommended Website:How Stuff Works Videos: Stuff to Blow Your Kid’s MindClickScholar Cie suggested this website where the geniuses at HowStuffWorks.com offer a free science video series titled, “Stuff to Blow Your Kid’s Mind.” The videos are as entertaining as they are educational and cover a variety of science topics. All of the videos are prefaced with an advertisement, so parents (as always) must supervise Internet use.

When you get to the site a video advertisement will launch automatically followed by the featured science presentation. Scroll down the page (below the screen) to see all of the video titles available including:

Atmospheric Pressure

Gravity

Magnets

Monsters

Rainbows

Salt

Scale

Solar Power

Static Electricity

Volcanoes

The videos are about 4-6 minutes in length and include explanations of the science behind the experiments that are performed, along with interesting facts and trivia.

This website, created by Roger C. Wagner, vividly demonstrates how computers can be utilized to enhance biological images, such as electron micrographs of molecules and cells, and models of biological entities.

When you get to the site, click on the text above any of the photos to see a collection of stunning computer-enhanced images. The photos are categorized according to the method of enhancement used. (Click each link for a brief explanation of what that enhancement entailed.)

*3D Models of Biological Structures – These models were constructed using 3D imaging software (click the link for a full description of how they were made.)

*Confocal Microscopic Images – More advanced students may wish to read up on this time-consuming process as described on Wikipedia, but everyone can enjoy the clear detail and radiant color of the resulting images.